They are not alone – the program’s podcast figures have risen steadily in recent years to make it the ABC’s most downloaded program by a long margin.

In August it hit a new high of 574, 580 downloads – enough to put popular podcast veterans like AM (236 794) and Late Night Live (255 132) in the shade.

If you’ve ever tuned in while driving and found yourself unable to remember the last ten kilometres of your journey, you will know the compelling nature of Conversations.

“It’s not the kind of program that you can have burbling along in the background,” Richard concedes.

Great if you’re in a kayak, thousands of nautical miles from anywhere. Not so good if you are hurtling down Parramatta Road in peak hour.

When it first aired in 2006, Conversations defied conventional wisdom that people wouldn’t listen to an interview on Local Radio for more than seven minutes.

But just why it succeeds comes down to a mix of finding the right guest, a lot of preparation and the innate curiosity and amiable nature of host Richard Fidler.

In a way it is old fashioned radio – one host talks to one guest for an hour. But in our world of 30 second sound bites and 140 character tweets, it is quietly revolutionary.

Guests range from the previously unknown to those who are familiar faces. The two prerequisites are that they have a story and can tell it.

Producer Pam O’Brien is often the person who decides whether a potential guest makes the grade during extensive pre-interview chats.

“We have been doing this for some time and you can tell relatively quickly if someone is going to be ok,” Pam said.

“So if they are not able to tell the story – they may be too halting or too rambling – (‘Or if they are no able to reflect on it very much’ – Richard) then we will not pick them.”

Recent guests include a rodeo champion, a CNN reporter, a performance artist, well known writers and athletes, a psychologist who survived Cyclone Tracy and the manager of an aged-care facility.

Their on air presence varies widely between funny and gregarious and quiet and thoughtful – the latter often making “beautiful radio” according to Richard.

“People who have never been before a mic, they are often the best kinds of guests,” Richard said. “Listeners feel they can measure their own lives against unknown people rather than the well known.”

The seemingly effortless chat between Richard and his guest – guided storytelling as he describes it – is the result of plenty of hard work behind the scenes.

“Preparation is absolutely crucial, without preparation you would be naked – I can’t just throw to a track and then another guest: there is no other guest!” Richard said.

“It doesn’t mean we can’t deviate (but) we go in with a strong idea about the shape of the hour.

“I’ve listened to interviews where you hear when them run out of questions at about the 20 minute mark and I have to switch it off,.”

Richard and Pam have worked together for a long time. Their team includes producer David White one day a week, providing technical support and advice, and grappling with Site Producer to get the program’s all-important podcast up as soon as possible after midday.

Dave also looks after the weekly Friday repeat – giving Richard and his producers time to talk through the every-bulging file of guest suggestions.

They are joined by Jenna Koda and Michelle Ransom Hughes, who brings fresh ears and a literary take on the program.

Michelle said the show worked because it was a strong contrast to the rest of radio.

“It is an unadorned hour of pure, lived experience,” she said.

“(The audience) really trust Richard to take them anywhere. They trust his intuition and heart, people know it’s a safe container, they are not going to be appalled by the way someone is treated.”

Conversations is a long way from Richard’s varying previous career, much of it in comedy and most in front of a camera. His conversion to radio came after a stint as the host of Summer Night Life.

“I thought, why have I left it so long in my life to get into radio? It is so much fun and the turn around between idea and execution is so much quicker,” he said.

“There is a beautiful suspension of prejudice on radio. I really believe that an hour of radio is much richer than an hour of television.

According to Nicola Harrison, Acting Content Director Networked Local Radio, the show stands out amid all the white noise, where trivia is competing for our attention.

“Conversations is that rare opportunity to really connect with a single person and learn a lot about them. It is truly intimate and revealing,” she said.

Big celebrations are planned for the program’s 1500th episode in October, which includes a live event at the Sydney Opera House.

Last year the show broke new ground by releasing the ABC’s first USB – a ‘best of’ collection that surprised everyone by selling thousands of copies. Another will be produced for Christmas 2013.